


Blind Date

by tenpercentbatteryremaining (Louiseeeee)



Category: Aaron Livesy/Robert Sugden - Fandom, Emmerdale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 12:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3173506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Louiseeeee/pseuds/tenpercentbatteryremaining
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: AU where Robert and Aaron have a terrible blind date that only gets better at the end.</p>
<p>(It ran away from me)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blind Date

"Have you even met Victoria’s brother?" a worried Aaron asked Adam as they sat in the corner of the pub.

"Well… no." Adam admitted. "But Victoria says he’s a nice guy, Aaron."

"Yeah, but he could be, I dunno, bald and ugly."

Adam laughed at Aaron’s description. “Come on, mate. Any relation of Vic’s has got to be smokin’. Anyway, he’s only a couple of years older than you.”

"Alright, fine!" Aaron gave in. "I’ll go on a blind date with this Robert bloke. Are you sure your wedding is the right place for it though?"

"It’s perfect, mate! His family will be there and so will yours so if you don’t get along, that’s fine!"

"I guess." Aaron took a sip of his drink. "It’ll certainly be an interesting night."

~*~*~

At the same time as Aaron and Adam were talking, Victoria was on the phone to Robert in the pub’s kitchen. 

"Robert, you’ll love him I swear. You have a lot in common."

"I don’t know, Vic, do people even go on blind dates anymore?"

"Of course they do, Robert. Come on, you’re both coming to the wedding alone, why not try and make something of it?"

Victoria could hear her brother sigh on the other end and mentally hi-fived herself. She knew Robert was giving in.

"Right, fine. I’ll do it. What does Aaron look like? Just so, you know, I know who to look for."

Vic rolled her eyes. “He’s got dark hair and stubble and he’s a bit shorter than you.”

"Wow, Vic, very descriptive."

"He’s Adam’s best man, you idiot, you’ll know who he is the minute you walk into the church."

"You got me there." Robert laughed. "I’ll see you on Saturday then."

"And Aaron!"

It was Robert’s turn to roll his eyes. “Of course, and Aaron.”

After hanging up, Victoria ran out of the kitchen and stood in the doorway to the bar. She caught Adam’s eye and gave him a thumbs up. Finally, she might be getting somewhere with this.

~*~*~

Robert checked his hair one last time in the rearview mirror of his car. He wasn’t supposed to be this nervous, it’s not like he was the one getting married. When Victoria first mentioned that him and Aaron go to the wedding together, Robert wasn’t too keen on the idea. Even though Victoria had mentioned this ‘Aaron’ to him often- surprisingly often, actually, now that he thought about it- he wasn’t too keen into walking in to the date, as the name would suggest, blind.

Yet, here he was, sitting in his car in the church car park, about to walk in and see his date for the evening. At least he had the advantage of seeing his date briefly before meeting him; Aaron wouldn’t know who he was until the reception.

After another glance in the mirror, Robert got out of the car and walked towards the church door. Secretly, he hoped the date with Aaron went well. It had been a while since he’d had a boyfriend and he missed it. With his thirtieth birthday just around the corner, he really wanted to meet someone and finally settle down. Robert looked at the ground and smiled at the thought that all the shit Victoria would give him for years if he met his future husband because of her.

Gradually getting more excited, Robert walked up the steps to the church, nodding his head distractedly at an old family member. Once through the door and standing behind the rows of people sitting waiting impatiently, Robert’s eyes were drawn immediately to the front, trying to pinpoint Adam, and more importantly, the man who should be next to him.

Unfortunately for Robert, both Adam and his best man were sitting down at the very front, so all Robert saw of Aaron was the back of his head. Guessing he’d have to wait till the bride arrived to see his date, Robert found his step-mum Diane among the guests and took a seat beside her on the opposite side of the church to where Aaron and Adam were seated. Finally, the wedding march began and Robert gaped at his sister who looked beautiful as she walked down the aisle. As she reached Adam, who was now standing on the alter, Robert’s attention snapped to the man standing beside the groom, who’s whole face was lit up watching his two best friends.

Robert’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “ _Well fuck me._ ”

~*~*~

Finally at the reception for the wedding in a fancy hotel, Aaron was getting angsty. He was yet to meet Robert, and a part of him was worried that Robert had walked into the church, saw him, and is now purposely avoiding him.

So here he was, sat at the bar, playing with the label on the beer bottle he was holding. Everyone was dancing to cheesy music in the other, larger room besides for a handful of guests were in getting some drinks, and some quiet.

Aaron turned around at the sound of a commotion behind him. He saw Victoria’s other brother Andy and his wife Katie arguing with a tall blonde bloke who had his back to Aaron.

"What, did you cheat on her too, just like you cheated on me, and with me?" Katie was shouting angrily.

What an asshole, Aaron thought to himself and was about to turn back to his drink when he saw Andy pull his arm back to punch the man in reply to whatever comment the guy had made. Even though he wasn’t trying to defend whoever this dick was, Aaron jumped off the bar stool and helped Katie pull Andy back. There was no way in hell Aaron was letting any fights happen at his best friends’ wedding.

"Oi, cool it will ya?" Aaron turned Andy away from the man and sent him off with Katie to the bar.

"Thanks." The man said quietly and Aaron finally turned around to look at him. If what Andy had said hadn’t made him plan to stay as far away from this man as possible, Aaron would have said he was stunning.

"I didn’t do it for you, mate. I heard what he said." Aaron brushed past the man and headed back towards his drink, planning to find Victoria and get her to point out Robert.

"Aaron, wait!"

Aaron froze and turned back around. “How do you-?” Aaron eyed the man, should he know him or… “No. No, no. no. You’re Robert?”

To say he was gutted would be an understatement. Aaron had secretly hoped that this Robert could finally be the guy of his dreams. But instead, it appeared he was a cheating asshole.

"Yeah, but Aaron, let me explain, I-"

"I don’t want to hear it." Aaron turned away from the man.  _Robert_. And walked straight back into the reception area, heading for the table he was sat at. Great date this was turning out to be.

~*~*~

Robert watched as Aaron stormed away from him. Aaron was  _grumpier_  than he expected him to be. Having been wounded by Andy’s words and Aaron’s attitude to finding out he was his date, Robert’s defences went up. He ordered a pint from the bar with a frown on his face. He grabbed the glass and put his head down as he walked back towards the main reception area. Robert couldn’t help but think of how disappointed he was. He’d been looking forward to meeting Aaron and now-

Robert felt the warm slam of a body up against his and then suddenly the feeling of cool beer all down his front. He looked up to find Aaron, who’s white shirt was now covered as well.

Aaron couldn’t believe it. He’d just turned back to quickly grab his beer except the minute he walked through the doorway he was covered in someone else’s. Robert’s.

"What the fuck?!" Aaron immediately exclaimed.

"Fuck you, look where you’re going next time!" Robert snapped back.

"Back at you, you dick!"

Realising they were at a stalemate, both men finally took their eye’s off the other and looked down at their clothes.

"Shit, Victoria’s going to have my head." Aaron groaned.

Robert debated with himself internally for seconds before the next words fell out of his mouth. “I’m staying in this hotel. I have fresh shirts upstairs if you want to borrow one? I packed extra because I was sure I’d end up with someone’s drink on me by the end of the night. I just didn’t assume it’d be my own.”

Aaron bit his lip to hide his smile at Robert’s words. What should he do? Go upstairs alone with his disaster of a blind date or face Victoria’s wrath?

"Yeah sure. Thanks."

~*~*~

Once up in the hotel room, Robert immediately went to the wardrobe and pulled out two identical white shirts.

"Here." he said, thrusting one of them towards Aaron who had stripped of his jacket.

"Thanks. I’ll just…" Aaron motioned towards the en suite bathroom.

"Yeah, go ahead."

After Robert heard the door click shut, he finally started unbuttoning his soaked shirt. It was only when he was standing topless in the middle of his hotel room that he realised he couldn’t put a clean shirt on while his torso was still covered in the beer that had soaked through.

After racking up the courage, Robert rapped his knuckles on the bathroom door.

"Do you have a facecloth in there or something? My stomach’s all sticky."

Robert rolled his eyes at his own words. He sounded five years old. He blushed at the sound of Aaron scoffing on the other side of the door.

"Yeah, gimme a sec."

Robert stood patiently on the other side of the door, but he was dying to explain to Aaron the fight he had witnessed before.

"You know, what you heard between me, Andy and Katie earlier…I want to explain. I did sleep with Katie years ago while she was with Andy the first time… and then I cheated on her too. But I’ve changed. I was young and stupid and I’ve never and I will never cheat on anyone again."

On the other side of the door, Aaron wasn’t sure how he felt. He paused before asking: “Who were they talking about when they asked if you’d cheated on ‘her’ as well?”

Robert was now settled against the door frame, playing with a bit of peeling paint. “My ex Chrissie. We broke up about two years ago because we just weren’t in love any more but I haven’t seen Andy in that time. Obviously the first thing he would say to rile me up would be to accuse me of going back to my old ways.”

Aaron distractedly continued buttoning up the shirt, thinking things over. Robert was obviously telling the truth, he could tell by his tone of voice. And Victoria did talk about how Andy always had it out for Robert…

Even though Aaron was sure Robert wasn’t just telling him this so that he’d give him another chance, Aaron was starting to consider it. He’d noticed how attractive Robert was the minute he had laid eyes on him. A drink down in the bar wouldn’t hurt.

Finally finished with the shirt and re-wetting the facecloth he had used, Aaron opened the door. He had one question left.

"What did you say that made him try to punch you?"

Taking a moment to be startled by Aaron flinging open the door, Robert then looked a bit sheepish.

"I was being a cheeky shit. I told Katie that she was the only person I’d ever even consider cheating on."

Robert was startled again by Aaron’s laughter this time, and the way Aaron’s face lit up, just like it did when Robert first saw him, made Robert’s own smile grow.

Aaron finally stopped laughing and handed Robert the facecloth. “I never really did like Katie much anyway.” he admitted, causing Robert to smile even wider.

After Aaron walked past him into the room, Robert stepped into the bathroom, leaving the door open. Watching himself in the mirror as he wiped the beer from his front, Robert thought of how Aaron looked wearing his shirt.

"The shirt, uh," he began, "It, um, fits well. It looks good on you."  
Aaron paused in the middle of putting his suit jacket back on and he openly smiled to himself. “Thanks.” he replied back, before finishing getting dressed. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

Robert walked back into the room and picked his shirt of the bed, giving Aaron a confused look. “I don’t have the shirt on yet.”

Aaron smirked. “I know.”

~*~*~

In the time that it took Aaron and Robert to get back down four flights to the reception, they had found that they did have a lot in common, just like Adam and Victoria had promised. They both had a love of cars, and had been mechanics in Emmerdale, though at different times. When Robert admitted that he wished their time in the village had overlapped, Aaron agreed with a quiet “yeah.” and they shared small smiles.   
Walking back into the reception area, they noticed that most of the room were pairing up and joining the newly married couple on the dancefloor as they danced to a slow song.

Robert eyed Aaron as he watched the dancefloor fill up. Should he?

"Do you want to dance?" Aaron surprised Robert by asking him before he could.

"Yeah, yeah of course." Robert smiled at Aaron, who smiled back, as he held out his hand.

Once on the dancefloor, Aaron wrapped his arms around Robert’s neck and Robert held on to Aaron’s waist and they spent the next five songs like that, in each others arms, talking about everything and nothing.

They were too engrossed in one another to notice Adam and Victoria watching them happily, finally glad their two year long plan had worked.  
On the sixth song, Robert pulled Aaron that little bit closer and kissed him, and Aaron wasn’t complaining one bit.

~*~*~

Aaron still wasn’t complaining when he woke up the next morning to Robert kissing his shoulder under the soft sheets of his hotel bed.

~*~*~

And he certainly wasn’t complaining five years later when he was stood at the same bar he’d been sat at just before Robert came crashing into his life. This time though he was playing with the new gold band on his finger rather than the label on a beer bottle. And he was ordering for him and his husband.

Robert.


End file.
